“Sometimes I wonder if I am just not meant for college,” the student said quietly, sitting across from the school counselor. The counselor leaned forward gently and replied, “What makes you feel that way?” The student hesitated before admitting, “I study, I try, but it feels like everyone else understands things faster than I do.” The counselor nodded with understanding and said, “You’d be surprised how many students sit in that exact chair and say those same words.” The stud

Emily: To me, critical thinking is engaging in a pattern of thought that creates original inferences from preexisting material; if I have at least two variables (such as a scaleless dragon and a frog without vocal cords), then I should be able to find some sort of connection between the two by solely using my own mind instead of just looking up possible answers on the internet. Additionally, critical thinking makes each person unique because when a group of people is asked t

The world can be a confusing place for many young adults. There are hundreds of thousands of perspectives in the world. Education could help the community understand the world and whatever problems it brings. Education is a tool to expand our minds and advance in this world. To expand our minds, we need to be disciplined, committed, and well-rounded. College is one of many ways to further education. Think of college like a car that gets the Individual from point A to point B.

In a land far away from common society, a great wizard spent his days in a dark tower. He was never to be seen, yet only a few knew of his great skills. He specialized in the hidden magical arts of spellcasting, potions, runes, and dueling, among others. He had amassed a great deal of knowledge, which brought him a particular magical foresight, yet he claimed the secret to his success was not a rarity, but was within anyone’s reach who dared venture into learning. This sparke

Howard Gardner, a professor of cognition and education, was the developer of the M.I. theory in 1983. A summary of Gardner’s theory: There are eight different intelligences that each person has, some of them higher than others (Example: someone can be good at math, while struggling at English). And the key point of Gardner’s theory: All intelligences can be nourished and grown. In other words, Gardner challenged the notion that everyone had just one intelligence that could no

Reedley College’s Reading and Writing Center (RWC) is relatively young (22 years of service), but many of its tutors left lasting legacies. One such tutor is Stephanie Duarte. Duarte teaches English C1000 here on Reedley College’s campus and shares some wisdom for current and aspiring tutors of all subjects. Reflecting on that time, she recalls some struggles. Some students would book her for “a couple of hours,” which felt draining some days. Not because she didn’t lov

When you go to a vet clinic, you are paying for the expertise of these medical professionals, no different from seeing a doctor who studies the human body. Clients subconsciously downplay the professional advice they are receiving and complain that vet care is so expensive because they do not view it as real medicine. Vet clinics are a business, and they must charge what is necessary to make a profit to stay in business and continue to do their job of helping animals. Often

On the evening of Saturday, 12 September 2025, I read an article in The Atlantic magazine that profoundly annoyed me. The article’s title...

College is not cheap, unfortunately, as everyone reading this likely knows Just to get a bachelor’s degree in California, it will run you...

I'm sure we all have experienced the same chilly November day in 4th grade, walking into the cafeteria wearing black construction paper...

Originally published in February 2019; revised February 2021. Table of Contents: What You'll Need and Why SQ3R Reading Strategy How to...